GK Brennan, once a forward, now bound for Miami for soccer

Jenna Brennan got her first taste of being a goalkeeper six years ago. With her team’s regular keeper hurt that day, the coach looked around for a replacement.

He settled on Brennan, who had been a forward her whole life.

Jenna Brennan, who plays club soccer for the Boulder County Force, will head to Miami next season to play soccer. (Courtesy Brennan family)

“Since I was tall, he figured he’d just stick me in goal,” Brennan recalled. “I was obviously a little bit nervous, because I’d never done it before. But as soon as I started playing, everything went well and it felt natural. I’ve just stuck with goalie ever since, (and) I love it.”

Now a 6-foot-2 senior at Broomfield High, Brennan plays exclusively for her club soccer team, Boulder County Force.

“Our club soccer team is so good, and I get better training and coaching through my club teams,” she said. “My coaches decided I would be able to improve more and be able to reach my full potential that way.”

“I definitely think that more and more people are starting to play club,” Brennan said. “High school, there is just so many different levels of girls playing all on the same team, so it’s really difficult to play at your highest level.”

It’s a career choice that’s worked out well.

As she developed as a goalkeeper, the calls began to pour in — soon she’d heard from more than fifty schools. They came from the west (Cal, University of San Francisco), the east (Louisville, Boston University, Georgetown), the Midwest (Texas A&M) and the academies (Navy).

She ultimately settled on the University of Miami in March.

“It’s a beautiful campus, and the moment I met up with all the coaches, like (head coach) Tricia Taliaferro, and all the girls, they were just like the players and people that I like to be with,” Brennan said. “They were a lot like me and they were so welcoming. It was a good fit for me.”

The Hurricanes play in the ACC, arguably the top conference in women’s soccer.

“Playing with the top players, I want to push myself to become better than those players,” Brennan said. “I want to become the best player in the conference and by playing against my hardest competition, I’ll be able to keep improving.”

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events that encompass the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.